Matthew Boyd starts as Cubs try to stop Marlins’ Wrigley sweep

Matthew Boyd takes the ball Thursday with the Cubs still waiting to secure a postseason place. Miami has won the first two games at Wrigley Field, leaving Chicago with one chance to avoid a three-game sweep. The finale is scheduled for 2:20 p.m. Eastern, with Tyler Phillips listed as the Marlins' probable starter. Both pitchers are probable, so the matchup remains subject to a lineup change before first pitch.

The Cubs are 87-71 after Wednesday's 3-2 loss. They are level with Philadelphia in MLB's National League Wild Card standings, while San Diego sits at 88-70. The standings still list Chicago as unclinched. A win would end the skid and improve its position, though the exact clinch path depends on results elsewhere. Miami enters at 78-80 and has won three of its five meetings with the Cubs this season.

The last two games show why Chicago cannot count on a single late rally. Miami broke open Tuesday's game with six runs in the 12th inning, winning 8-2. On Wednesday, Dansby Swanson's two-run single erased Kyle Stowers' two-run homer, but the Marlins retook the lead in the seventh when a replay review overturned a force play and Agustín Ramírez scored. The Cubs did not score again. Our Wednesday recap follows those plays in full.

Boyd arrives off a better result. He worked five innings in Saturday's 5-2 win at Cincinnati, allowing one earned run and striking out four. MLB's official highlights below are from that September 19 start, not Thursday's upcoming game.

The left-hander is 9-5 with a 4.06 ERA entering Thursday, according to the Associated Press game preview. Phillips, a right-hander, is 5-6 with a 3.45 ERA. Boyd gives Chicago a chance to change the pitching tone after Kevin Gausman limited Miami to two runs in 5 2/3 innings Wednesday but still received no win.

The first two defeats also put pressure on Chicago's hitters to produce before the late innings. Wednesday's tying swing was the Cubs' main answer to Miami's scoring; Tuesday's 12-inning game lasted long enough for a bullpen breakdown to decide it. Seiya Suzuki has 25 home runs and 85 RBIs this season, while Pete Crow-Armstrong has four homers in his past 10 games, according to the AP preview. The Cubs have power available, but they need to turn it into runs against Phillips and Miami's relievers.

Thursday is the series finale, not the end of Chicago's schedule. The Cubs visit Boston after this game. A win would send them east with the Marlins sweep avoided; a loss would put more weight on results elsewhere and the Boston trip. The next update belongs to the verified final, when the pitching change, lineup and standings can be checked against the game record.